Beer: Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by Brenden:

This beer is sort of a dark gold, not quite amber in color, with a sizable compact, slightly off-white head that shows good form and retention, leaving legs all over the place to form a web almost to the bottom of the glass.The aroma doesn't pour out as soon as I pop it, which is rare enough as it is, but it does have plenty of pop to it. It's first intensely of pine, extremely, fantastically hoppy if not somewhat one-dimensional in the hop profile, before a bold citrus comes out, plenty of grapefruit to it with a solid malts backbone keeping it from going harsh.Other notes come out in the flavor, though pine is strongest. Initially, though, it's straight hard pine, woody , raw and dry. Citrus comes out just as strong, and it's not long before a touch of malty sweetness asserts itself, letting the hops do the talking but keeping things civil. Bitterness reigns, but plenty of tropical fruits notes add to the sweetness and balance. It gets very grassy and just a bit leafy, and in the finish it moves back to the pine.This is a beer that could go very dry but keeps it at a nice, even level. Crispness offers life while a creamy smoothness runs through in every sip. There's plenty of body to this brew without being heavy, and it's actually quite bright. If there's any weak spot in the feel, it's that it's so creamy it gets almost "airy," for lack of a better descriptor.I'm glad the midwest if offering some competition to the West Coast as IPAs are concerned. This beer brings it.

More User Reviews:

Head Hunter has enough hoppiness that it could be coloured green. It's not of course, but it aught to be. This honeyed golden beer is a divine nectar indeed and looks picture perfect: brilliant clarity, resplendent highlighting, stalwart carbonation and a bulky head.

What sets this IPA apart, however, is not its appearance but its aroma; the smell of hops can be appreciated from the other side of the table (literally, I'm not kidding). I've been around the IPA block enough times that it now takes something pretty special to impress me - and the brimming, aromatic, vivid, layered hop notes here are certainly noteworthy.

Head Hunter has at its core an iron fist of juicy, acidic, tropical fruitiness that includes mango, pineapple, grapefruit, lime, tangerine, and guava. The finish is accented by an almost minty note and herbal, piny backbone. It's astounding that something with such a strong personality be so agreeable; one could drink this all night (and will want to!)

Although it feels broad and large - and at 7.5% and 87 IBUs this is certainly no skinny puppy - it drinks with effortless ease. Most IPAs of similar strength and character (even some of the best ones) are nowhere as approachable nor so endlessly drinkable; nothing pithy or astringently bitter, there wasn't a single rough patch or off-note in the whole growler.

Believe the hype - Head Hunter is the real deal. It is the living, breathing antithesis of the theory that all the best IPAs hail from the West Coast. People in Cleveland must be saying: "Pliney, who?" With Fat Head's you pretty much can't go wrong - there's not a bad beer on the list - but make one-hundred percent certain you try Head Hunter. As if you needed me to tell you that!

Thanks to cneville for this local extra! Pours a very nice, almost perfect looking amber and copper color with pretty decent clarity. A big, foamy white head mounts itself slowly and leaves some fat lacing as it slowly crawls back down.

The aroma begins with a solid installment of heavy, heavy tropical and citrus fruits - at first, it's almost all you can smell. Pineapple would probably be the biggest, followed by some grapefruit and tangerines. The fruits induce a subtle sweetness on the nose as well as a mild, pith-like bitterness. It doesn't take long for the hops to come alive; pine, grass, and some light and spicy white pepper. Pretty West Coast-ish just from the aroma - and that's certainly a good thing. Malt is very light and subdued, I'm not really picking much up at all.

Upon the initial sip, the beer is just a touch more watery than I would have guessed, but it's not bad by any means - perhaps I just set my expectations a bit too high after that monstrous aroma. The hops hit first on the palate; white pepper, herbal, grassy, earthy, and almost a bit dirty. Pretty raw and in-your-face - I like it. The hops aren't left alone for long; citrus makes its way into the mix, coming in more so on the bitter side of things - citrus peel, pith, skins - you name it. Oranges and tangerines jump out more and more with each successive sip, and finally add a bit of sweetness - though some of that may be from the underlying malt, which also brings a mild bread and cracker flavor to the mix, albeit cowering in comparison to the hop profile. Bitter 'til the very end with just a hint of sweetness as it fades out. Slightly sticky on the palate with a medium body and medium-high carbonation.

Damn, how did this fly under the radar for so long? This beer is fantastic. Any IPA fan will go nuts for this - very tropical and fruity aromas coupled with bitter and hoppy flavor profiles make for some of the best IPAs out there. Hopheads rejoice!